Monday, October 13, 2014

NHL Season Begins, CHL Season in Full Swing

The season has been underway since last Wednesday, and while it's still far too early to start identifying trends, it's been nice hockey start up again. The first few games have been horribly frustrating for Avs fans and Jets fans alike, but both teams have escaped the first three games with a win. A 1-2 record is hardly something to aspire to, for either time, but the Avs at least have showed some progress, beating the big bad Boston Bruins 2-1 in a hard-fought game earlier today. The Jets, on the other hand, started off brilliantly with a rousing 6-2 victory over the Arizona Coyotes. Unfortunately the real tests soon followed, tough games against the Pacific Division powerhouses, the L.A. Kings and San Jose Sharks. They managed just one goal through those 2 games, though that was one more than Colorado managed in two games against the Minnesota Wild, two games I'd really prefer to forget for any number of reasons.

-Connor McDavid didn't have a great first game of the season by his lofty standards, but man has ever turned it up a notch since then. He now sits first in OHL scoring with 18 points in just 6 games. If there was any doubt about how McDavid would handle the pressure of his draft year (yeah, there really wasn't but let's just say for the sake of argument...) his first six games have been as much of an answer as you could ask for. Right in there with McDavid, tied for the league lead in points in fact, is his Otters teammate Dylan Strome. Strome, also draft eligible this year, has led the charge for the Otters along with McDavid, effectively replacing Dane Fox, Connor Brown, and Andre Burakowsky, who were key cogs in last year's well-oiled machine offensively.

-Sticking with the OHL, and also the Avs, Avalanche prospects Chris Bigras and Kyle Wood are off to strong starts for the Owen Sound Attack and North Bay Battalion respectively. Bigras has eight points in eight games, putting him third in league scoring among defensemen. Wood, on the other hand, has scored four goals in his first six games. The 6'5 Wood is known more for his physical play than his offense, so this goal scoring outburst, while it may be an aberration, is nice to see. Bigras is probably going to end up at the WJC for Canada at this rate, and as a returning player he should have a leg up on the competition.

-A quick look at the 2016 draft, for those who like looking to the future. Two OHL defensemen who should be eligible next year, Sean Day and Jakob Chychrun, are off to strong starts. Day, who was granted exceptional status last year, has six points through his first five games, and at 6'2 and 229 lbs according to the OHL website, he's already man-sized. Chychrun isn't far behind, standing 6'2 himself, and having a very successful rookie season so far, with six points through seven games for an improved but still middle of the pack Sarnia team that also boasts 2015 eligible Czech import Pavel Zacha, himself off to a good start with six points through seven games. Zacha, standing 6'3 and over 200 lbs projects as a power forward and will likely be a high first round pick.

-Out west, in the WHL, two prospects on the West coast are turning heads: 2015 eligible Matt Barzal, the former first overall pick in the WHL Bantam Draft, and another first overall bantam pick, Tyler Benson, eligible in 2016. Playing for Seattle and Vancouver respectively, Barzal and Benson have cemented their status as top-ten picks for their respective draft years. Brandon Wheat Kings defenseman Kale Clague is having a solid year for a very deep Wheat Kings squad, and he too will be up for the draft in 2016. This is the defenseman who broke Dion Phaneuf's scoring record for a AAA defenseman with a whopping 77 points in 33 games as a 14 year old.

-Back to the NHL, the Jets specifically, this most recent road trip wasn't kind to them for the most part, but I will say this: Adam Lowry is proving (as if it wasn't already obvious) that he belongs in the NHL. Hitting anything he gets in his crosshairs, bulling his way to the net and generally causing mayhem on the forecheck. He, Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler all looked good against L.A. and they were just about the only ones. On the other end of the spectrum, Jacob Trouba, who looked like future Norris Trophy material last year at times, has looked weary and worn down this year so far. It might be time to cut his minutes down a bit, but it is a little early to push the panic button on the young man just yet.

-As for the Avs (deep breaths) I'm focussing on the positives. They beat Boston, number one, and the whole team generally looked good. Danny Briere has little chemistry with Nathan MacKinnon, but he did score the winning goal with 0.5 seconds left. Tyson Barrie looks like a future all-star (though, once again, it's early). He's pinching well, getting back in a hurry, making things happen in the offensive zone and being better than solid in the defensive zone. The Avs best d-man to start the season by a mile.

That's it for now, folks, check back later for more NHL/CHL thoughts from yours truly.

  

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